Magnet-containing seal for closures



April 26, 1966 c. E. HALL 3,248,159

MAGNET-CONTAINING SEAL FOR CLOSURES Filed March 5, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 38 4 r I 1 h w W IN VEN TOR.

F 2 CHARLES E. HALL Apri1'26, 966 c. E. HALL 3,248,159

MAGNET-CONTAINING SEAL FOR CLOSURES Filed March 5, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 if V /27' I I l .-;l'. 35 "1:: l7 l5 29 F I c. 3

FIG. 4

INVENTOR.

CHARLES E. HALL United States Patent C) 3 248 159 MAGNET-CONTAlNlNG SEAL FOR CLOSURES Charles E. Hall, Williamstown, W. Va., assignor to The B. F. Goodrich Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 5, 1964, Ser. No. 349,557 Claims. (Cl. 312-296) problem of providing an effective seal for the doors,

especially along their adjacent edges. Prior elforts to solve this problem have included providing each door with a magnet-containing gasket in which the magnet is positioned so that the magnetic poles thereof attract the poles of the magnet in the opposite gasket when the doors are aligned in closed position and repel each other as one door is moved relative to the other. This repelling action is not, however, sufficient to prevent excessive Wiping of the gasket surfaces and edge interference since the repelling action of a magnet carried by one door upon a like magnet carried by the other door continually changes in amount during door movement and is substantially negligible at the time when most needed. Similar ditficulties are encountered in sealing hinged double doors for opening without a central post in structures other than refrigerators.

The principal object of this invention is, therefore, the provision of an improved magnet-containing gasket for sealing the space between adjacent edges of hinged double doors in a manner such that a central post or mullion for the doors is not required and the doors may be independently opened and closed without interference of the gaskets.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide an improved magnet-containing gasket as defined in the preceding object wherein the mating surfaces of the cooperating gaskets for the adjacent edges of a pair of doors are held in sealing engagement when the doors are in alignment and are retracted sufiiciently by magnetic attraction to prevent interference upon relative motion of the doors.

A still more specific object of the invention is the provision of an improved gasket for sealing the adjacent edges of hinged double doors, which gasket has flexible walls defining a pair of laterally spaced compartments adapted to extend parallel with the space between the doors and with one compartment laterally projecting beyond the edge of the door on which it is mounted, each i A further object of the invention is to provide an improved refrigerator cabinet having a pair of hinged double doors with an improved gasket as defined above for sealing the space between the adjacent edges of the doors, and also having a magnet-containing portion for holding the doors in sealing relationship to the cabinet.

Other objects and features of the invention will be hereinafter more fully apparent from the following description of'the presently preferred embodiment described with reference to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a double door domestic refrigerator cabinet, without center post, provided with the improved magnet-containing gasket;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view to an enlarged scale through the cabinet doors of FIG. 1, when the doors are in closed position, showing the structure of the portions of the gasket for sealing the space between the doors;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 illustrating the action of the magnetic gaskets when one door is moved from alignment with the other; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view substantially on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1, illustrating the portion of the magnet-containing gasket which holds a door in sealing engagement with the cabinet.

The invention is illustrated in the drawings as it is incorporated in a domestic refrigerator cabinet 10, the opening of which is closed by a pair of doors .11 and 12. The doors are hinged to the cabinet as indicated at 13 and the cabinet is devoid of any central post or mullion for the doors so that free access to the interior of the cabinet may be had by opening both doors. Either door may be independently opened and closed when access to only a part of the cabinet is desired.

The doors 11 and 12 are retained in closed position, and the interior of the cabinet is sealed from passage of air or heat, by magnet-containing gaskets mounted on the interior of each door adjacent the edges thereof as shown for the door 11 in FIG. 1. It will be understood, with reference to FIGS. 2, 3 and'4, that the door 12 is similarly provided with a gasket identical to that shown on .door 11. Like portions of these gaskets are hereinafter designated by the same reference numerals, the parts of the gasket on door 12 being differentiated from the like partlsi of the gasket on door 11 by the addition of a prime mar The portion 14 of the gasket extending along the free vertical edge of the door 11 comprises an elongated flexible extrusion of plasticized polyvinyl chloride or other suitable elastomer having walls defining two laterally spacedlongitudinally extending compartments 15 and 16 joined for relative movement by flexible wall portions 17 and 18; The gasket portion 14 further comprises a base strip 19 having a suitable attaching portion 20 Which may be secured to the interior of the door, adjacent the edge thereof, by a suitable strip or spaced clips 21 fastened to the door by screws or other fasteners 22 as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art. A flexible wall 23 of the gasket interconnects the base portion 19 with the walls of a longitudinally extending compartment 24, the outer wall of which is coextensive with a common wall for one side of the compartments 15 and 16.

The gasket portion 14 is so made that, when mounted upon the door, as shown, the laterally outer compartment 15 extends beyond the edge of the door with the outer surface of the projecting portion of compartment 15 parallel with the free edge of the door. The outer surface of the compartment 24 is then parallel with the interior surface of the door and the upper and lower regions of the gasket portion 14 are adapted to contact the walls of the cabinet at the top and bottom of the opening therein when the door is in closed position.

Each of the compartments 15 and 16 is provided with a separate elongated permanent magnet 25 and 26, re-

spectively. These preferably are strips of generally rectangular cross section formed from finely-divided permanent magnetic particles, such as barium ferrite, united by a flexible binder which may be elastomeric material of appropriate type. The magnets 25 and 26 have magnet poles of opposite polarity on their opposite faces with the magnet poles on adjacent faces of the two magnets of reverse polarity. As here shown, the magnet 25 in the compartment 15 has its outer face provided with at least a pair of laterally spaced magnetic poles of opposite polarity, effected by providing this face of the magnet 25 with a longitudinally extending north pole adjacent one edge of that face and a longitudinally extending south pole adjacent the other edge of that face. The reverse side of the magnet 25 is also provided with at least a pair of laterally spaced magnetic poles of opposite polarity, which poles are reversed with respect to the poles on the outer face of the magnet. The poles on the inner face of the magnet 25 are preferably of somewhat less magnetic strength than those on the outer face as is indicated by the polarity indicating letters N and S on the inner face being of smaller size than the polarity indicating letters for the outer face of the magnet. The elongated magnet 26 may be identical to the magnet 25 and magnetized in like manner as is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. It is not, however, necessary that the magnet 26 have magnetic poles on its surface most remote from the magnet 25 and, hence, magnetization of that surface maybe omitted.

The compartment 24 in the gasket portion 14 is also preferably provided with a permanent magnet. 27 which may-be similar to the magnets 25 and 26. However, the magnet 27 in the compartment 24 need not extend the entirelength of the compartment. Instead, it may be provided in two spaced short-lengths each having a length only equivalent to the width of the cabinet contacted by the gasket portion 14 when the door 11 is in closed position- The short lengths of magnet 27 may be retained in proper position in compartment 24 by cementing or heat sealing. The magnet 27 cooperates with the magnetically susceptible material of the cabinet surrounding this opening to the interior, which material may be part of the sheet of iron or steel from which the cabinet is made or a separate piece of such material should the cabinet be formed of non-magnetic material, to assist in retaining the region adjacent the corner of the gasket in sealing relationship when the door is closed.

The magnet-containing gasket on the door 12 is identical in all respects to that on the door 11. Hence, a detailed description thereof is unnecessary, it being noted that corresponding parts of the two gaskets are designated by the same reference numbers but with a prime mark added to the numerals applied to the gasket on door 12.

The portions of the gasket on each door, other than the portions such as 14, 14 adjacent to free edges of the doors, may have the same cross section as the portions 14, 14'. Preferably, however, a simpler cross section is employed which may, for example, be like that designated 28, 28'. These portions of the gasket are, as illustrated in FIG. 4, formed of an elongated extrusion of the same material as the portions 14, 14' shaped to provide flexible walls defining a single longitudinally extending compartment 29. This compartment is supported on the outer face of the gasket by flexible walls 30' which are also connected to a base strip 31 overlying an attaching portion 32. The flexible Walls 30' are curved in a manner which permits movement of the compartment 29 relative to the base strip 31'.

The base strip 31', attaching portion 32 and the compartment 29 are of such size and shape that they can be readily joined to the base strip 19', attaching portion 20 and the walls of compartments 16' and 24 of the gasket portion 14' by heat sealing in a mitered joint.

The corresponding portions for the gasket on door 11 are of identical construction and are joined in the manner as shown in FIG. 1. The upper and lower ends of the gasket portions 14, 14', which are not covered as the result of this mitering union with the gasket portions 28, 28', may be suitably closed by flaps over, and/ or resilient plugs inserted in, the ends of the compartments 15, 15' and the space between that compartment and the compartments 16, 16.

The compartments 29, 29' in the portion of the gaskets extending along the top and the bottom of each door are preferably provided with an elongated permanent magnet which, as shown for magnet 33' in FIG. 4, is magnetized to provide one or more magnetic poles on the outer face of the magnet for attraction to the magnetically susceptible material of the cabinet engaged by the gasket when the doors are closed. The magnetization of these magnets may, if desired, be the same in nature as that employed for the magnets 25 and 26.:

The portion of each gasket extending along the hinged side of the door on which it is mounted may have the compartment thereof, corresponding to compartment 29', provided with a permanent magnetor this reach of each gasket may have the compartment filled with appropriate yieldable material, such as elastomeric sponge, fiberglass, or the like.

The action of the magnets in the gasket portions 28, 28', and of the magnets 27, 27' in the end regions of the gasket portions 14, 14', in retaining the doors in closed sealed relationship with the cabinet, will be readily understood without detailed explanation. will be evident that, in the closed position of the doors, these magnets attract the magnetically susceptible material of the cabinet retaining the flexible gasket ma terial in sealing engagement between the doors and the cabinet. The doors can be individualy opened by a simple pull on a handle, such as 34, provided upon each door and no latch release mechanism is necessary.

The action of the magnet-containing gasket portions 14, 14' in sealing thespace between the adjacent doors when the latter are closed will be understood with reference to FIG. 2. As shown therein, the magnets 25, 25'

are identical but are disposed so that their polarities are ends of the gasket portions 14, 14 to the margin of the cabinet around the opening is provided, as explained above, by the magnets 27, 27. the adjacent portions of the magnets in the gasket portions 28, 28' ensure sealing cooperation of the gasket corners at the top and bottom of the portions 14, 14'.

When it is desired to open either or both of the doors 11 and 12, the corresponding handle 34 is grasped and pulled. The initial movement of one door relative to the other displaces the opposed magnetic poles of the magnets 25, 25' so that the attractive force therebetween is materially lessened. The opposed magnetic poles on the adjacent faces of the magnets 25, 26 and 25, 26' are then effective to attract the magnet 25 and 25', respectively, toward their adjacent magnets 26 and 26'. This retracts the outer faces of the gasket portions 14, 14 so that interference between the doors in further relative movement is eliminated. This is indicated to an exaggerated degree in FIG. 3. As shown therein, the compartments 15 and 15',With their magnets 25, 25 pivot toward their associated compartments 16, 16' containing the magnets 26, 26, respectively. This action is facilitated by the walls 17, 17' being made to permit a hinging action as, for example, by a groove or other reduced thickness of the wall as indicated at 35, 35'.

Thus, it 1 These magnets and The "action is also facilitated by the flexible nature of the walls 18, 18' which are of lesser thickness than the walls 17, 17'. V

The fact that the adjacent surfaces of the gasket portions 14, 14 are prevented from interference during relative movement of the doors by the attractive force of the magnets contained in each of the gaskets is an important feature of this invention. Hence, the force which retracts the interfering surface does not depend upon the non-uniform repelling force of the poles on the adjacent faces of the magnets 25, 25' when like poles of these magnets momentarily pass near each other and which force is not available upon door closing until interference has already occurred. Moreover, the outer surfaces of the gasket portions 14, 14' are positively and effectively moved from interfering relationship during relative door movement without, however, any sacrifice in the effective sealing action between the adjacent gaskets when the doors are in aligned relationship since, in that position, the attraction between magnets 25 and Z5 is greater than between magnets 25, 26 and 25', 26'. Therefore, the improved gasket construction has now made possible the use of hinged double doors for'closures without the necessity of a central post or mullion for the opening closed by the doors and without the damaging interference'of the sealing portions for the adjacent edges of the doors. It is this interference which has heretofore been a serious hindrance to the adoption of such constructions in refrigerators and other cabinets where the. closure members must be in sealing engagement about the opening when the membei's are in closed position.

' The invention has been described with reference to a single specific embodiment. It will be appreciated, however, that the details herein illustrated and described may be varied in many respects. By way of example but without limitation thereto the magnets 25, 25', 26, 26 and .27, 27' may have but a single pole on the opposite faces thereof rather a pair of poles. Likewise, the con figuration of the several gasket portions -may be altered from those illustrated. Therefore, the invention is not to be considered as restricted to use on refrigerator cabinets nor to the details of the embodiment illustrated set of walls defining a second magnet-containing compartand described but is deemed inclusive of all variations 7 which may be devised by those skilled in the art and which are encompassed within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

l Having thus described the invention, I claim: I

1. An elongated magnet-containing gasket compnsrng an e'longatedflexible extrusion including a pair of magnet-containing compartments extending longitudinally of the gasket, flexible walls interconnecting the said compartments in laterally spaced relationship, elongated perand the magnet therein extend laterally beyond the adjacent longitudinal edge of said attaching portion for projection beyond the edge of a door on which the gasket is mounted, and the elongated magnet in the last-mentioned compartment having its outer face provided with at least a pair of laterally spaced magnetic poles of 0pposite polarity for-gasket-sealing attraction to a magnetically susceptible surface.

2. A magnet-containing gasket as defined in claim 1 wherein the magnetic poles on the face of the said one magnet adjacent the other magnet are of lesser magnetic ment, flexible walls interconnecting the said compartments in laterally spaced relationship, an elongated permanent magnet of generally rectangular cross section in each of said compartments, the said elongated magnets each having a pair of magnetic poles of opposite polarity on each of two opposite faces thereof with the magnetic poles on adjacent faces of the two magnets of reverse polarity, and an integral attaching portion of said gasket extending generally perpendicularly relative to the planes of the polarized faces of the magnets with a side wall of one of the said compartments substantially aligned with the laterally outer longitudinal edge of said attaching portion and the other of said compartments supported in its entirety laterally outwardly therefrom in overhanging relationship to said attaching portion.

4. A magnet-containing gasket as defined in claim 3 and further comprising a third longitudinally extending magnet-containing compartment the outer surface of which extendsparallel with the said attaching portion.

-5. A magnet-containing gasket comprising an elongated flexible extrusion including a baseportion adapted to extend parallel to the surface on which it is to be mounted, integral walls of said extrusion defining a first magnet-containing compartment of generally rectangular cross section with the greater transverse dimension .extending perpendicularly to said base portion and with one wall substantially aligned with the outer longitudinal edge of said base portion, other integral walls of said extrusion defining a second magnet-containing compartment of gen- I erally rectangular cross section with the greater transverse dimension extending perpendicularly to said base portion, flexible walls interconnecting the said compartments in parallel laterally spaced relationship with the said second compartment extending in its entirety laterally outwardly of said base portion in overhanging relationship thereto, and elongated permanent magnets of generally rectangular cross section in each of said compartments, the said elongated magnets each having magnetic poles of opposite polarity on their opposite faces of greater transverse dimension with the magnetic poles on adjacent faces of the two magnets of reverse polarity.

6. A magnet-containing gasket as defined in claim 5 and further comprising a third longitudinally extending magnet-containing compartment the outer surface of which extends parallel with the base portion.

7. A magnet-containing gasket for sealing the region between adjacent edges of a pair of doors pivotally mounted adjacent their opposite sides, the said gasket comprising a portion attachable to a face of a door adjacent the edge thereof opposite the pivotal mounting, a first compartment in said gasket extending longitudinally thereof, an elongated permanent magnet of generally rectangular cross section in said compartment, the said magnet having at least a pair of laterally spaced magnet poles of opposite polarityon a face thereof extending perpendicularly to the attaching portion, a second compartment, a pair of spaced flexible walls supporting said second compartment parallel with and laterally spaced from said first compartment an amount sufficient to overhang said attaching portion and extend outwardly beyond the edge of the door on which the gasket is mounted, a second elongated permanent magnet of generally rectangular cross section in the said second compartment, the said second magnet having at least a pair of laterally spaced magnet poles of opposite polarity on the side. thereof facing the first magnet with the magnet poleson said second magnet being of reverse polarity relative to the poles on the adjacent face of the first magnet, and at least a pair of laterally spaced magnet poles on the opposite face of said second magnet for gasket-sealing attraction to magnetically susceptible material.

8. A magnet-containing gasket as defined in claim 7 wherein the magnetic poles on the face of said second magnet adjacent the first magnet are of lesser magnetic strength than the adjacent poles on said first magnet.

9. Means of effecting a seal between adjacent edges of a pair of pivotally mounted doors adapted to extend in alignment when the said doors are in closed relationship, the said means comprising identical gaskets mounted on like faces of said doors adjacent to and parallel with the said adjacent edges thereof, each of said gaskets comprising an elongated flexible extrusion including walls defining a pair of elongated magnet-containing compartments united together in laterally spaced relationship and with one compartment adapted to flexibly move toward and from the other compartment, means for mounting each of the gaskets upon one of the doors with the outermost compartments of the gaskets adjacent each other and extending laterally beyond the edges of the doors, and a separate elongated permanent magnet in each of the compartments in each gasket with the adjacent surfaces of the magnets having magnetic poles of opposite polarity, whereby the magnets in the outermost compartments hold the gaskets in sealing engagement when the doors are closed and the attractive force between the magnets in each gasket retracts the outer surface of that gasket from interfering relationship with the other gasket during relative movement of the doors.

10. Means for effecting a seal between adjacent edges of a pair of pivotally mounted doors adapted to extend 1n alignment when the said doors are in closed relationship, the said means comprising identical gaskets mounted on like faces of said doors adjacent to and parallel with p the said adjacent edges thereof, each of said gaskets comprising an elongated flexible extrusion including walls defining a pair, of elongated magnet-containing compartments united together in laterally spaced relationship and with one compartment adapted to flexibly move toward and from the other compartment, means for mounting each of the gaskets upon one of the doors with the outermost compartment of the gaskets adjacent each other and extending laterally beyond the edges of the doors, and a separate elongated permanent magnet in each of the compartments in each gasket with each magnet having at least a pair of laterally spaced magnetic poles of opposite polarity on the side thereof adjacent a neighboring magnet and with the magnetic poles on each magnet reversed with respect to the magnetic poles on the adjacent side of the neighboring magnet, whereby the magnets in the outermost compartments hold the gaskets in sealing engagement when the doors are closed and the attractive force between the magnets in each gasket retracts the outer surface of that gasket from interfering relationship with the other gasket during relative movement of the-doors.

11. Means for effecting a seal between adjacent edges of a pair of pivotally mounted doors adapted to extend in alignment when the said doors are in closed relationship, the said means comprising identical gaskets mounted on like faces of said doors adjacent to and parallel with the said adjacent edges thereof, each of said gaskets comprising an elongated flexible extrusion including walls defining a pair of elongated magnet-containing compartments united together in laterally spaced relationship and With one compartment adapted to flexibly move toward and from the outer compartment, means for mounting each of the gaskets upon one of the doors with the outermost compartments of the gaskets adjacent each other and extending laterally beyond the edges of the doors, and a separate elongated permanent magnet in each of the compartments ineach gasket with each magnet having at least a pair of laterallyspaced magnetic poles of opposite polarity on the sides thereof adjacent a neighboring magnet and with the magnetic poles on each magnet reversed with respect to the magnetic poles on the adjacent side of the neighboring magnet, the magnetic strength of the poles on the side of the magnets adjacent the opening between the doors being greater than the strength i of the magnetic poles on the reverse sides of the said magnets.

12. In a cabinet comprising walls defining a compartment having an opening, a pair of doors pivotally mounted on said cabinet for movement to and from aligned positions in which they cover the said opening, and sealing means for the space between the adjacent edges of said 1 doors when the latter are in alignment, the improvement which comprises said sealing means including identical elongated flexible gaskets attached to the inner side of 1 each of said doors adjacent to and extending parallel with the said adjacent door edges, each of said gaskets comprising an elongated flexible extrusion including walls defining a pair of elongated magnet-containing-compartments united together in laterally spaced parallel relation-v ship and with one compartment adapted to flexibly move toward and from the other compartment, the outermost compartment of each gasket extending laterally beyond the edge of the door on which the gasket is mounted 1 for sealing engagement with a like portion of the gasket on the other door, an elongated permanent magnet in each compartment in each gasket with each magnet havj ing at least a pair of laterally spaced magnetic poles of opposite polarity extending longitudinally of the magnet on the side thereof adjacent a neighboring magnet and. with the magnetic poles on each magnet reversed with, respect to the magnetic poles on the adjacent side of the neighboring magnet, the magnetic strength of the poles on the sides of the magnets adjacent the space between i the doors being greater than the strength of the poles on the opposite sides of the magnets, whereby the attractive force between the magnets in the outermost compartments hold the gaskets in sealing engagement when the doors are closed and the attractive force between the magnets in each gasket retracts the outer surface of that gasket from interfering relationship with the other gasket during relative movement'of the doors.

13. In combination with a cabinet comprising walls defining a compartment having an-opening, a pair of doors pivotally mounted on said cabinet for movement to and from aligned positions in which they cover the I said opening, and sealing means for the space between i the adjacent edges of said doors when the latter are in alignment, the said means comprising identical elongated flexible gaskets attached to the inner side of each of said doors and extending parallel with the said adjacent edges, each of said gaskets comprising wall portions defining a pair of laterally spaced flexibly connected hollow compartments extending parallel with the said adjacent edges of the doors with one compartment extending. laterally i 14. In combination with a cabinet comprising walls defining a compartment having an opening, a pair of doors pivotally mounted on said cabinet for movement to and from aligned positions in which they cover the said opening, and sealing means for the space between i the adjacent edges of said doors when the latter are in alignment, the said means comprising identical elongated flexible gaskets attached to the inner side of each of said doors and extending parallel with the said adjacent edges, each of said gaskets comprising wall portions defining a hollow compartment extending parallel with the said adjacent edges of the doors and laterally beyond the door on which the gasket is mounted for sealing engagement with a like portion of the gasket on the other door, an

elongated permanent magnet in each of said gasket compartments with each magnet having a pair of laterally spaced magnet poles of opposite polarity on opposite sides thereof one of which sides is adjacent the magnet in the other gasket and the said magnets being disposed with the polarity of the magnet poles on adjacent sides reversed, each gasket further comprising flexible walls connecting its said magnet-containing compartment to a second magnet-containing compartment in spaced parallel relationship to the first magnet-containing compartment, and an elongated permanent magnet in each of said second magnet-containing compartments, each of the last-mentioned magnets having at least a pair of laterally spaced magnetic poles of opposite polarity on the side thereof disposed toward the neighboring magnet in that gasket with the polarity reversed relative to that of the poles on the adjacent face of the said neighboring magnet.

15. In combination with a cabinet comprising walls defining a compartment the opening to which is surrounded by magnetically susceptible material, a pair of doors pivotally mounted on said cabinet for movement to and from aligned positions in which they cover the said opening and sealing means for the doors including a flexible gasket extending around each door adjacent the edge thereof, the portions of the gaskets adjacent the top and bottom of each door including an elongated magnet attractable to the magnetically susceptible material of the cabinet to retain the doors in closed positions, the portions of each gasket extending along the adjacent edges of said doors etfecting sealing of the space between the gaskets by abutment of adjacent portions of the gaskets, the last-mentioned portions of the gaskets each comprising walls defining a hollow compartment extending par- 10 allel with the said adjacent edges of the doors and laterally beyond the door on which the gasket is mounted, an elongated magnet in each of said gasket compartments with each magnet having at least a pair of laterally spaced magnet poles of opposite polarity on opposite sides thereof one of which sides is adjacent the neighboring magnet in the other gasket with the neighboring magnets being disposed so that unlike magnetic poles are adjacent when the doors are closed, each of the said last-mentioned portions of each gasket further comprising flexible walls connecting said laterally extending magnet-containing compartment to a second magnet-containing compartment in spaced parallel relationship to the said laterally extending magnet-containing compartment, and elongated permanent magnets in said second magnet-containing compartment, each of the last-mentioned magnets having at least a pair of laterally spaced magnetic poles of opposite polarity on the side thereof disposed toward the neighboring magnet in that gasket with the polarity reversed relative to that of the poles on the adjacent face of the said neighboring magnet to thereby attract the latter and retract the outer face of the portion of each gasket between the doors as relative movement of the doors is effected.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,928,145 3/1960 Foley 3l2296 X CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Examiner.

F. DOMOTOR, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN ELONGATED MAGNET-CONTAINING GASKET COMPRISING AN ELONGATED FLEXIBLE EXTRUSION INCLUDING A PAIR OF MAGNET-CONTAINING COMPARTMENTS EXTENDING LONGITUDINAL OF THE GASKET, FLEXIBLE WALLS INTERCONNECTING THE SAID COMPARTMENTS IN LATERALLY SPACED RELATIONSHIP, ELONGATED PERMANENT MAGNETS IN EACH OF SAID COMPARTMENTS, THE SAID ELONGATED MAGNETS HAVING AT LEAST A PAIR OF MAGNETIC POLES OF OPPOSITE POLARITY LATERALLY SPACED TO THEIR ADJACENT SURFACES WITH THE MAGNETIC POLES ON ONE MAGNET REVERSED RELATIVE TO THE POLARITY OF THE POLES ON THE ADJACENT SURFACE OF THE OTHER MAGNET, AN INTEGRAL LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING ATTACHING PORTION OF SAID GASKET FOR SECURING THE GASKET TO A FACE OF A DOOR ADJACENT AN EDGE THEREOF, THE SAID ATTACHING PORTION BEING CONNECTED TO SAID COMPARTMENTS IN A MANNER SUCH THAT ONE OF SAID COMPARTMENT AND THE MAGNET THEREIN EXTERNAL LATERALLY BEYOND THE ADJACENT LONGITUDINAL EDGE OF SAID ATTACHING PORTION FOR PROJECTION BEYOND THE EDGE OF A DOOR ON WHICH THE GASKET IS MOUNTED, AND THE ELONGATED MAGNET IN THE LAST-MENTIONED COMPARTMENT HAVING ITS OUTER FACE PROVIDED WITH AT LEAST A PAIR OF LATERALLY SPACED MAGNETIC POLES OF OPPOSITE POLARITY FOR GASKET-SEALING ATTRACTION TO A MAGNETICALLY SUSCEPTIBLE SURFACE. 